At 250, America Must Reframe Its Founding Icons

The Princeton University Art Museum has reopened after a five-year construction hiatus, returning Charles Willson Peale's iconic 1783 painting, *George Washington at the Battle of Princeton*, to public view. The painting, which had been on continuous display for 236 years prior to the closure, is being presented with a new interpretive framework that highlights the complex history of its ornate frame—originally made for a portrait of King George II, with its crown physically removed—and the painting's timing for the nation's 250th anniversary.

6 Objects That Capture Everything Brilliant and Strange About the Shakers

The Institute of Contemporary Art in Philadelphia has opened a new exhibition titled "A World in the Making: The Shakers," which places the work of seven contemporary artists alongside over 100 historical Shaker objects. The show, a collaboration with the Vitra Design Museum and the Milwaukee Art Museum, draws heavily from the collection of the Shaker Museum in New York to explore the community's legacy of radical simplicity, order, and purpose.

A Muddy History of Plant-Hunting

The exhibition "Seeds of Exchange" at London's Garden Museum highlights a 1773 botanical collaboration between British amateur plant hunter John Bradby Blake and Cantonese painter Mak Sau. Centered on Blake’s unpublished "Flora Sinensis," the project attempted to systematically catalogue Chinese flora, including the Camellia japonica, through detailed watercolors that blended Western objective illustration with Chinese artistic expertise. These works served as the primary medium for introducing Chinese plant species to the West long before live specimens could survive the journey.

Our Critics Disagree on MoMA PS1’s Greater New York, a Wide-Ranging Survey Defined by a Fascination with Fragility

MoMA PS1 has launched the sixth edition of Greater New York, its signature quinquennial survey featuring 53 artists living and working across the city's five boroughs. Marking the institution’s 50th anniversary, this iteration was organized entirely by the museum’s internal curatorial staff rather than outside contributors. The exhibition moves away from the introspective, surrealist themes of the pandemic-era 2021 edition, focusing instead on the social fabric of the city and the systemic challenges facing its residents.

The New Museum’s ‘New Humans’ Reckons With Human-Machine Relations in the Workplace

The New Museum has inaugurated its recently renovated space with 'New Humans: Memories of the Future,' a sprawling exhibition featuring over 700 works across four floors. The show explores the historical and evolving relationship between humanity and labor, tracing the narrative from ancient Mesopotamian myths to the industrial age and the rise of robotics. Key sections like 'Mechanical Ballets' highlight how artists have historically responded to the dehumanization of the workforce through the lens of early 20th-century avant-garde movements.

You Can Become an Artwork at This New York Museum—Thanks to Piero Manzoni

Magazzino Italian Art in Cold Spring, New York, is reactivating Piero Manzoni’s seminal conceptual work, "Magical Base" (1961). On April 10 and 11, visitors can stand on the artist's wooden pedestal to be documented as living sculptures, receiving a photograph and record of their participation. The activation is part of the larger exhibition "Piero Manzoni: Total Space," which also features the artist's "Achromes" and immersive, unrealized environments like the "Phosphorescent Room" and "Hairy Room."

Inez & Vinoodh Handpick 6 Defining Works From Their New Retrospective

The Dutch photography duo Inez & Vinoodh have launched a major retrospective titled "Can Love Be a Photograph" at the Kunstmuseum Den Haag. Spanning their career since 1986, the exhibition features 150 works that blur the lines between fashion photography, celebrity portraiture, and fine art. To mark the opening, the artists highlighted six defining works—including the digitally manipulated "Thank You Thighmaster" series—that prioritize conceptual depth and psychological mutation over the glossy celebrity culture they are often associated with.

At Palm Beach’s Hottest Fair, Blue-Chip Meets Emerging Art

The ninth edition of the Palm Beach Modern and Contemporary (PBM+C) art fair opened with a VIP preview benefiting the Ann Norton Sculpture Gardens. The fair, presented by Art Miami, features 55 international galleries showcasing a mix of blue-chip modern works, contemporary art, and emerging talent, with highlights including special exhibitions dedicated to Russell Young's Marilyn Monroe centennial works and a satellite exhibition at the sculpture garden.

Museum openings: V&A East and Los Angeles County Museum of Art. Plus, William Blake in Dublin—podcast

Two major museum projects have reached completion as London’s V&A East prepares for its public debut and the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) unveils its new $700m David Geffen Galleries. V&A East opens with a focus on community-driven programming and its inaugural exhibition, 'The Music is Black: A British Story,' while LACMA’s long-awaited Peter Zumthor-designed building begins member previews amidst ongoing debates regarding its scale and cost.

Monumental 37ft-long Indian scroll goes on public view for the first time at Yale Center for British Art

The Yale Center for British Art has unveiled the 'Lucknow scroll,' a monumental 37-foot-long early 19th-century watercolor, following an extensive two-year conservation project. Part of the exhibition 'Painters, Ports and Profits,' the scroll offers a panoramic view of Lucknow, India, during the reign of Ghazi-ud-Din Haidar Shah. Due to its immense size and fragility, the museum is displaying the work in two stages, unrolling different sections over the course of the exhibition to manage light exposure and space constraints.

German artist Anne Imhof to be subject of ‘ambitious’ Hong Kong solo exhibition

German artist Anne Imhof will present her first solo exhibition in Asia at the Tai Kwun culture complex in Hong Kong from September 26, 2025, to January 3, 2027. The ambitious show will feature a survey of key works and a new commission, converging performance, image, sound, and architecture to create immersive encounters.

The Canonization of Frida Kahlo

A major exhibition, 'Frida: Making of an Icon,' at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, re-examines the legacy of Frida Kahlo. It moves beyond her iconic status by presenting her early works, influences, and, most significantly, over a hundred works by artists she inspired, demonstrating her impact across generations and cultures.

Like a concrete aircraft carrier: was LA’s giant new $724m gallery really worth all the carbon emissions?

The Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) is set to open its new $724 million David Geffen Galleries, designed by Swiss architect Peter Zumthor. The massive concrete structure, which spans Wilshire Boulevard like a bridge, represents a twenty-year effort led by director Michael Govan to create a non-hierarchical, single-level museum space. The building's design features eight massive pavilions supporting a sprawling 110,000 square foot gallery floor, intended to house the museum's diverse permanent collection in a transparent, fluid environment.

V&A East collection review – a dazzling wealth of inspiration to fire up the geniuses of the future

The Victoria and Albert Museum has unveiled the first look at its new V&A East outpost in London’s Olympic Park, showcasing a collection that emphasizes diversity, global exchange, and the integration of art into daily life. The inaugural displays feature a wide-ranging mix of objects, from Althea McNish’s vibrant Caribbean-inspired textiles and Vivienne Westwood’s punk designs to a talismanic shirt inscribed with the Qur’an and a Japanese screen documenting colonial encounters. While the museum's public-facing branding focuses on community engagement, the actual curation offers a sophisticated, open-ended exploration of how different cultures influence and define one another.

‘Relentless’: National Gallery of Victoria exhibition celebrates motherhood

The National Gallery of Victoria has launched "Mother," an expansive exhibition featuring over 200 works that explore the complexities of motherhood. Curated by Sophie Gerhard and Katharina Prugger, the show draws from the NGV collection and new acquisitions to move beyond idealized religious icons like the Virgin Mary. The selection spans centuries and cultures, juxtaposing 19th-century sketches by Queen Victoria with contemporary First Nations birthing skirts and raw depictions of domestic labor and maternal exhaustion.

‘Old masters too’: Ghent exhibition celebrates female artists of the baroque

The Ghent Museum of Fine Arts (MSK) has opened the exhibition 'Unforgettable: Women Artists from Antwerp to Amsterdam, 1600-1750,' featuring over 40 female artists from the Baroque period in the Low Countries. The show highlights painters like Judith Leyster and Maria van Oosterwijck, as well as practitioners of crafts like paper-cutting and lace-making, aiming to restore these women to a historical narrative dominated by male 'Old Masters' like Rembrandt and Vermeer.

Metropolitan Opera and MoMA Together Put Kahlo at Center Stage

The Metropolitan Opera and the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) have launched a rare cross-disciplinary collaboration centered on the life and work of Frida Kahlo. The project features a new operatic production at the Met, complemented by a specialized exhibition at MoMA conceived by the opera's set designer to provide visual and historical context.

A Thomas J Price Bronze Opens Door to London’s V&A East

British artist Thomas J Price has unveiled a monumental bronze sculpture at the entrance of the Victoria and Albert Museum’s new outpost, V&A East, in Stratford, East London. The large-scale work depicts an anonymous Black figure, continuing Price's practice of utilizing the traditional language of monumental sculpture to celebrate everyday individuals who are often marginalized in public spaces.

What to See This Spring at Museums Across the U.S.

Major museums across the United States are preparing to launch a diverse array of exhibitions for the spring season. Highlights include a comprehensive Marcel Duchamp retrospective at the Museum of Modern Art in New York, an exploration of Etruscan civilization at the de Young Museum in San Francisco, and a major fashion-focused exhibition at the Phoenix Art Museum.

The Titan of Land Art Moves Indoors and Gets Intimate

Michael Heizer, the pioneering Land Art figure known for monumental desert works like "City" and "Double Negative," is presenting a new exhibition of smaller-scale, indoor sculptures at Gagosian Gallery in New York. The show, titled "Collapse," features a series of large, geometric steel forms that, while still substantial, represent a significant shift in scale and context from his earth-moving outdoor projects.

Taiwan’s New Typologies

Taiwan is undergoing a significant cultural transformation with the opening of several major municipal art institutions, including the New Taipei City Art Museum, the Taoyuan Museum of Fine Arts, and the Taichung Green Museumbrary. The latter, designed by Pritzker Prize-winning architects SANAA, represents a new hybrid typology that merges a public library with an art museum within a sprawling urban park. These institutions are characterized by striking contemporary architecture and a mission to balance international prestige with deep-rooted local art histories.

Hunker Down With John Skoog

Artist John Skoog has premiered a new black-and-white feature film, 'Redoubt' (2025), starring Denis Lavant, and opened a concurrent exhibition at Moderna Museet in Malmö. The film follows a farmhand building an apocalyptic shelter, while the museum installation features the full-scale, fabricated bunker from the film's production.

Rirkrit Tiravanija to Assemble “A Gathering of Remarkable People” for Qatar Pavilion at Venice Biennale

Thai artist Rirkrit Tiravanija will headline the Qatar Pavilion at the 61st Venice Biennale with a collaborative project titled “Untitled (a gathering of remarkable people).” Curated by Tom Eccles and Ruba Katrib, the exhibition will be housed in a temporary tent in the Giardini on the site of Qatar’s future permanent pavilion. The presentation features a multidisciplinary roster including filmmaker Sophia Al-Maria, sound artist Tarek Atoui, sculptor Alia Farid, and chef Fadi Kattan, blending live performance, cinema, and Middle Eastern culinary traditions.

The 5 Best Booths at Art Cologne Palma Mallorca 2026

Art Cologne has officially relaunched its satellite fair in Palma, Mallorca, nearly two decades after its initial 2007 debut. The 2026 edition features 88 participating galleries and runs through April 12, showcasing a curated selection of international and local talent within the Balearic Islands' evolving cultural landscape.

Centre Pompidou Hanwha to open its Seoul space in June 2026.

The Centre Pompidou Hanwha is scheduled to open its doors in Seoul in June 2026, following a three-year construction period. Located within the iconic 63 Building in the Yeouido district, the 10,000-square-meter facility replaces a former aquarium with a four-story "box of light" designed to maximize natural illumination.

First Details of the German Pavilion

Erste Details zum deutschen Pavillon

The German Pavilion at the upcoming Venice Biennale will present an exhibition titled "Ruin," featuring works by the late Henrike Naumann and artist Sung Tieu. Curated by Kathleen Reinhardt, the exhibition explores historical ruptures and the lingering effects of political and social voids following German reunification. Tragically, Naumann passed away shortly after completing her contributions, and her studio team is now working to realize her final artistic vision for the prestigious international stage.

Already 100,000 Visitors at Cologne's Kusama Exhibition

Schon 100.000 Besucher in Kölner Kusama-Ausstellung

The Museum Ludwig in Cologne has reached a significant milestone, welcoming 100,000 visitors to its Yayoi Kusama retrospective within just four weeks of opening. The exhibition, which features 300 works ranging from early childhood drawings to contemporary installations, has proven to be an unprecedented draw for the institution, surpassing the director's initial expectations for attendance speed.

Phallus, Vagina, Universe

Phallus, Vagina, Universum

Marina Abramović is presenting a major retrospective at the Neue Nationalgalerie in Berlin, shifting focus from her well-known explorations of physical pain to the erotic energy of the human body. The exhibition draws heavily on Slavic folklore and pagan traditions from her Balkan heritage, exploring how ancient rituals used sexuality and the body as tools for spiritual and cosmic connection.

Alexander Calder, Brilliant Sculptor of Air and Color Celebrated at the Fondation Vuitton

Alexander Calder, génial sculpteur de l’air et de la couleur célébré à la fondation Vuitton

The Fondation Louis Vuitton is hosting a major celebration of Alexander Calder, the American sculptor who revolutionized 20th-century art by introducing movement and play into the medium. The article traces Calder's formative years in Paris starting in 1926, where the young engineer-turned-artist gained avant-garde fame with his 'Cirque Calder'—a miniature circus of wire and fabric figurines. This period marked his transition from traditional painting to his signature 'drawings in space,' featuring wire sculptures of figures like Josephine Baker that projected dancing shadows and captured the kinetic energy of the era.

The Beautiful Renaissance of the [mac] in Marseille

La belle renaissance du [mac] à Marseille

The [mac] (Musée d’Art Contemporain) in Marseille is undergoing a significant revival following years of stagnation and underfunding. Under the new leadership of Stéphanie Airaud, who was appointed in 2023, the museum has completed major renovations including updated storage facilities, a new rooftop terrace, and a reorganized gallery layout. The institution is leveraging its impressive but previously underutilized collection of over 1,000 works—featuring masters like Basquiat, Klein, and Saint Phalle—while actively working to correct historical gender imbalances and strengthen ties to Mediterranean contemporary art.